1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device which is adapted to protect a passenger""s head in a motor vehicle in the case of impact, especially frontal collisions. More particularly, the present invention relates to helmet-type devices which are secured to the vehicle for the purpose of protecting and cushioning any blows to the human head caused by collisions.
2. Description of Related Art
A number of devices have been suggested heretofore to prevent or at least to reduce the damages ensuing to the passengers of a motor vehicle in the case of an accident. These include devices of different kinds, such as padding the vehicle interior, pneumatic cushions which automatically inflate at the time of impact, and seat belts permanently in position in the sense that after the initial fastening operation they remain in active position as long as the passengers are in the interior of the vehicle.
Such devices are also used in combination when the devices of a single type do not solve the problem of passenger protection in a satisfactory manner. For example, the seat belt devices have the advantage of not being as bulky as padding while simultaneously providing safety to the passenger in the vehicle. Seat belts require only the initial (manual) fastening operation and there is no risk of failure as, conversely, may happen with pneumatic cushions (e.g. in the case of defects in the inflation apparatus). The seat belts only offer protection which is limited to only a few parts of the passenger""s body and, in the majority of the cases, the head, in particular, is excluded from the protection.
Statistical findings on accidents, in laboratory tests carried out to simulate the accidents, have shown that seat belts, for example, lap and shoulder belts, afford good protection until the velocity at impact is not too high. If, conversely, the velocity is high, while the passenger""s body is firmly held on the seat, the head is subjected to a movement which is neither controlled nor braked and which causes stresses on the head which are above the tolerability threshold. For these reasons, there is a need for a protection system which is based on the use of safety belts capable of protecting in the case of impact, the passenger""s body, more particularly, the trunk, and a device, cooperating with the belts, and especially provided for the protection of the head.
In the past, various U.S. Patents have issued relating to devices for protecting the passenger""s head. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,953,049, issued on Apr. 27, 1976 to Surace et al., describes an inflatable head protector adapted for protecting the passenger""s head in the case of collision. The safety device comprises a protective strip which unfolds itself in a spatial form generated by rotation of a U-shaped line about an axis passing through the ends of the U-shaped line. The axis is horizontal and transverse with respect to the vehicle and is at the level of the head, behind the head. At the instant of impact, the strap is inflated by a pressurized gas and is unfolded so as to become positioned in front of the passenger""s head.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,753,576, issued on Aug. 21, 1973 to J. F. Gorman, describes a vehicle safety device comprising an expandable composite element provided with a mounting for location in a vehicle and which is expandable from an inoperative retracted position to an operative expanded position. There is a means for rapidly filling the element with a filler material so as to cause the expansion. The element includes an outer shield which expands first and an inner shield which extends inwardly therefrom. The shield extends over the human head and across the torso of the human body.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,909,459, issued on Mar. 20, 1990 to M. H. Patterson, describes a helmet-mounted head restraint which restrains the forward and downward movement of the occupant""s head when subjected to large deceleration forces. The restraint includes a strap assembly which encircles the back of the occupant""s head and releasably connects to the helmet adjacent to each of the passenger""s ears. A restraining strap is slidably connected by a loop to the strap assembly and extends behind the head through a retracting means fixed in the seat. The retracting means pulls the head back against the seat when deceleration forces exceed a predetermined level. The device is particularly designed for aircraft operations.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,795,412, issued on Mar. 5, 1974 to A. E. John, describes a vehicle safety device having a roof housing for storing a plurality of inflatable, spaced apart tubes carrying a sleeve of netting material adapted to surround and confine the occupants upon deployment. The netting and inflated tubes are positioned around the occupants and the back of the seat to restrain the occupants from forward and lateral movement.
In the past, various helmets have been designed for the protection of the head during physical activity. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,586,200, issued on May 6, 1986 to M. C. Poon, describes a crash helmet having a plurality of protective layers. One of the protective layers includes inflatable air bubbles whose pressure and size may vary when connected to an outside air pressure supply. U.S. Pat. No. 5,444,870, issued on Aug. 29, 1995 to D. Pinsen, describes a football helmet and shoulder pad combination. The helmet portion is resiliently coupled to the shoulder pad. U.S. Pat. No. 4,354,284, issued on Oct. 19, 1982 to E. R. Gooding, describes a protective liner for outdoor headgear in which a plurality of fluid-filled cushions have walls of resilient material joined together in a regular and spaced relationship around the interior of the headgear. The cushions are interconnected by fluid-carrying passages so as to facilitate the dispersing of the impact forces laterally. U.S. Pat. No. 5,685,021, issued on Nov. 11, 1997 to K. Tsujino, describes a protective wrestling headgear having a layer of gel cushioning material, preferably silicon gel, covering the interior surface.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a head restraint for a passenger of a vehicle which effectively prevents head injuries from occurring.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a head restraint which allows normal movement within the vehicle while preventing movement of the head during the application of strong deceleration forces to the vehicle.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a head restraint which will fit comfortably over the human head.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a head restraint which is easy to use, relatively inexpensive and easy to manufacture.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a reading of the attached specification and appended claims.
The present invention is a head restraint for a passenger of a vehicle comprising a seat, a helmet pivotally secured to the seat back of the seat and having an interior suitable for receiving a human head therein, and an inertia harness means connected to the helmet for restricting relative movement of the helmet upon application of deceleration forces beyond a desired level.
A universal joint secures the helmet to the top surface of the seat back. The helmet is connected to this universal joint.
The helmet includes a rigid outer shell, a resilient member layer affixed to an interior surface of the outer shell, a packing layer affixed to an interior surface of the resilient member layer, and a pliable layer affixed to an interior surface of the packing layer. The pliable layer is suitable for direct contact with the human head. In an alternative form of the present invention, a mask portion can be affixed to the outer shell and extend downwardly therefrom. The resilient member layer includes a plurality of springs interposed between the outer shell and the packing layer. Each of the plurality of springs has one end secured to the outer shell and an opposite end secured to the packing layer. The packing layer can either be a bubble wrap material or a plurality of randomly disposed foam elements. The pliable layer is a silicone material lined around the interior surface of the packing layer. The mask is of a transparent rigid material.
The inertia harness means comprises a belt affixed to the helmet and extending rearwardly of the seat back, and a retraction mechanism cooperative with the belt and positioned rearwardly of the seat back. The retraction mechanism limits forward movement of the helmet upon application of deceleration forces by the vehicle.